§ Captain REDMOND(by Private Notice) asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the official announcement of the Irish Department of Agriculture that after close investigation they have been unable to discover any evidence of the existence of foot-and-mouth disease in Ireland, he will take immediate steps to remove the restrictions on the importation of Irish cattle into Great Britain?
Sir A. BOSCAWENIn view of the fact that three separate cases of foot-and-mouth disease have occurred in Irish cattle which had passed through Dublin, in two of which cases the disease manifested itself within six days of their departure from Ireland, I am bound to conclude that a source of infection exists in Ireland. The inability of the Irish Department to discover that source only increases my difficulty, and for the present I cannot take the risk of allowing store cattle, which may be potential carriers of disease, to be distributed throughout Great Britain. Arrangements have been made whereby store cattle will be accepted at a number of British ports for 14 days' quarantine at the ports, to be followed by licences to specific premises. This procedure was adopted after the last Irish outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Wicklow, and it was in the course of the detention at the lairage that the third case of disease was detected. The potential accommodation at the ports is upwards of 7,000 stores per fortnight.
§ Captain REDMONDMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman what proof he has got that these animals came from Ireland, and in the second place whether he is aware that the Irish Department of Agri- 1887 culture have made an exceedingly close and careful investigation into no less than 33,623 animals, over 1,393 different farms, and when the Irish Department of Agriculture say they can find no trace of foot-and-mouth disease in the country, is not that sufficient guarantee to the right hon. Member that no such disease exists?
Sir A. BOSCAWENAll these cases were cases of animals which had just been brought from Ireland. In one case an animal was actually in isolation in quarantine in the lairage at Birkenhead. There can be no doubt they were all cases of animals brought from Ireland, and with reference to the further point that the Irish Department failed to detect the source of the disease, that, of course, makes the position more difficult. If the Irish Department could locate it we could draw a ring round the infected area and admit store cattle from the rest of Ireland, but the very fact that the Irish Department cannot locate it compels me to take these precautions, and I may point out that it is exceedingly inconvenient for British farmers who want stores, just as it is inconvenient for Irish farmers, and if I could avoid taking these precautions I certainly would, but my first duty is to protect the health of the flocks and herds of this country.
§ Captain REDMONDIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that during the last three weeks, namely, the period since when these cases were discovered, the price of meat has risen considerably in this country, and that therefore he should take into consideration the investigations that the Irish Department have made?
Sir A. BOSCAWENI am not aware that the price of meat has risen, but I may point out that if we were to have a wholesale epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease, it certainly would rise.
§ Captain REDMONDOn the question of the detention of these store cattle at the lairages, is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Department of Agriculture in Ireland protested against these conditions being made, as being exceedingly harmful to the store cattle, and, in view of their not having discovered any disease in Ireland, will he not remove this restriction?
§ Colonel GREIGHaving regard to the interests in stores here, would it not be advisable to take steps at once to get stores from Canada?